A Demonstration Web Site for Stories of Chinese Workers

The record of what faced Chinese laborers in the building of U.S. railroads in the mid to late 1800s and other works is faint. Chinese Whispers is a project to give voice to the stories of those generations. GreenInfo developed a prototype website to help the group with its fundraising efforts.

Through the use of timeline animations and spotlight effects, the map shows the spread of oppressive incidents as well as acts of resistance in the years leading up to and immediately following the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882.

Spotlights help to effectively visualize types of data on the map. For example, as the user moves the mouse over the list of incident categories such as Arson, all similar incidents are highlighted on the map. Technology used includes HTML5 Canvas and Leaflet.

Other parts of the web site were not fully developed in this prototype.

Results: The website has remained a prototype, as funding was not secured to complete it.

GreenInfo Network

GreenInfo Network creates, analyzes, visualizes and communicates information in the public interest. We specialize in mapping and related technology for nonprofits and public agencies, focusing on using it for conservation, social equity, public health, environment and foundation grant making.